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F. C. COPPAGE.

Harvester.

Patented Dec. 10; 1867.,

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IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, FRANCIS O. COPPAGE, of Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo, and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harvesters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which I Figure 1 is an oblique perspective view of my machine, looking from a point a few feet behind the outer end of the finger-bar F. v Figure 2 shows the mechanism by which motion is communicated to the cutter-bar G.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures The object of my invention is to render more simple and effective the machinery for operating and adjust ing the cutter-bar and the reel of harvesters.

A A are the traction-wheels of my machine, working loosely on the shaft 13, to which they communicat motion, by the ratchets and pawls b, when moving forward, but which they have to act independectly of when moving backward. a a are parts of the frame, a the drivers seat, F the finger-bar, hinged to a supportingbar, G, at g, which supporting-bar is itself hinged to a projection from the under side of the frame a at g. C is the cutter-bar, attached by the pitman c to the connecting-rod c, which unites the lower ends of the levers d 01, attached to the stepping-dogs D D. E is a wheel firmly fixed to the shaft B, and having its sides, at the point of their contact with its circumferential surface, cut into series of steps, e e e e, e e e e, the steps upon one side alternating in position with those of the other. Into these steps the dogs D D work, being so connected by the rod 0, and so adjusted upon their pivots d" d, attached to the frame a, as to 'follow with the utmost accuracy the advancing or receding surface of the steps opposite to them, and being assisted in this movement by the two springs as w, attached to the frame a, which serve both to keep the dogs in place and to check the motion and assist the return of the cutter-bar O. H is a rod, having at one end, within reach of the driver, a crank, it, and having near the other extremity, a worm, h, which operates the short stout shaft I, by means of the segment 2', into which it gears. Upon the opposite end of the shaft I is'fixed a stout arm, 2', hearing at its extremity a chain, K, which connects it with the supporting-bar G. The arm 1'' may be-made in the shape of the segment of a circle, as my drawings show, for the purpose of increasingits strength, and having its periphery grooved to guide the chain K. L is a grooved pulley, fixed-on the end of the shaft 13 nearest to the cutter-attachment, and confining between it and the ratchet-wheel b, a collar, Z. From this collar an arm, M, extends towards the rear of the machine, bearing at its extremity, and at a right angle to it, a pin, m, upon which run two grooved pulleys m and m. To the end of the pin 7% is fixed a crank-shaped arm, N, supporting the adjusting-rod n of the reel 0. Therod n is composed of two parts, screwing together, in order that it may be lengthened or shortened as circumstances may require. To screw these parts together, or unscrew them, remove the pin 11/ that holds the lower end of the rod upon the arm N, and detach the rod from the arm. The upper end of the adjusting-rod n is fixed to a sleeve" 0, in which runs the reel 0", the latter being actuated by power applied at its inner extremity to a grooved pulley, 0', attached to it. The tubular sleeve 0 is firmly fixed, at a point as near as possible to the centre of gravity of the whole reel-attachment, to a cylindrical sleeve, 0, at right angles with the sleeve 0, and which slides up and down on the reel-post P, being fixed in position, when desired, by means of the set-screw 17. The reel-post P is hinged at its foot, so as to admit of motion, backward and forward, upon the hinge, and a short distance above the hinge, has a slot, into which tits a curved arm, R, by means of which, and the set-screw r, the position of the reel-post can be adjusted to any desired degree of elevation. S S are braces added to the above-described machinery, in the manner shown in the drawings, for the purpose of strengthening and steadying the different parts of the machine. U is a belt, passing around the pulley L, and then over the pulleys m an", one side of the double belt passing over each of these pulleys and finally over the pulley 0 of the reel, to which it communicates motion received from the pulley L. By means of this arrangement, it will be observed the belt is always kept at the requisite degree of tension, whatever be the position and inclination' of the reel and reel-post. The foot of the reel-post P is supportedin a shoe, T, attached to the finger-har,-and pivoted with it at g. A slot, t and' bed i serve as a support and guide to the cutter O andits pitman, The brace S is hinged to the front end of this nose 2-: shoe. The whole system of braces S Sis also hinged to a projection from the forwarei'part of the frame a, shown at V. v s 1 v I will not described the other parts of-my harvester when it is in full working order, for the reason that I make no claim of novelty in their construction and-operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. The combination of the double or alternate step-wheel E, having the inclined steps e e 0, with the two I stepping-dogs D D, and the Springs :2: :v, when the said partsare constructed and arranged substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

2. The combination and arrangement of the adjusting-rod n o" with the cylindrical sleeve 0, the sleeve or slide O, .the post P, and the reel 0", in such a manner that whilethe post 1? supports thereel, the elcva tion of the latter is adjusted by the compound rod n a", substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The rod H having the crank it, and the worm 1t,'i n combination with the worm-segment z, the shaft I, the winding arm or segment 2', and the chain K, substantially as and for the purpose specified To the above specification of my improvement I have signed my hand, this 27th day of April, 1867.

FRANCIS C. OOPPAGE.

Witnesses:

Ones A. Pn'rmrr, SOLON C. KnMoN. 

